Kinnear deserves MLS Coach of the Year mention

By now, it’s no secret Dominic Kinnear was well aware that there was a small segment of the fan base that was calling for his job this year.

Yet, if you consider the injuries, the lack of a double-digit scorer and the struggles down the right wing of the midfield, you learn to appreciate two things about the Dynamo: One is that Brad Davis should be the MLS MVP. The other is that Kinnear has done a great job managing this season while integrating many new faces.

That’s not saying he’s been perfect. You only need two syllables to realize Kinnear had some huge mistakes. Koke, anyone? Nonetheless, if you’re at practice daily, you would learn to appreciate how hard he works and how much he cares. The cynics would say they could work hard at the job, too. Yeah, but those cynical fans haven’t won two MLS Cup titles and reached the playoffs in seven of eight seasons as a coach. In Houston, Kinnear has reached the playoffs in five of six seasons and won two titles. That should buy him plenty of room for error, although I know it doesn’t with some folks.

“I think I know what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m not going to go out there and say I’m the best coach in the world. But I do have a good grasp of the game, a good understanding of it. When things don’t go well, obviously I understand. It’s a professional sport and the coach is always the first one to be criticized and probably most harshly. But yeah, I do take it personally because I know how hard I work.”

Through the championships and low points, Dominic Kinnear has been 'the man to lead us,' Brian Ching said. (Nick de la Torre/Chronicle)

Brian Ching swears by the man, and you’d be mistaken if you think Ching supports Kinnear because they’re always on the same page. I can think of at least two occasions this season when neither man was very happy with the other, but they’re both pros who appreciate that their competitive nature will lead to tension from time to time.

“Being around with him through ups and downs, last year was an extremely stressful season not only for him but for everyone,” Ching said. “I think it was hard on him, especially because we had such high expectations. When you fall short of those expectations, you first look at yourself. You look and see what you could have done better. He’s that kind of guy. I think he took this year personally. It’s good that we made the playoffs.

“We’re not 100 percent happy, I know he’s not 100 percent happy, with where we are. But considering where we were last year this was a good season that progressed from last year, especially with how it went last year.”

As for the fans calling for Kinnear’s job:

“It’s the life of a coach,” Ching said. “You have a couple of good seasons and then one bad one and people second-guess you. It’s the sign of fans caring, too. It’s their right to voice their opinion of how they feel. When it comes down to it, does the coach have the respect of the players and the front office? He does. If you look at our locker room and the front office, everybody considers Dom in high regards. We feel he’s the man to lead us.”